687: Chapter 685 The Time Has Come

"To actually consume barbarian soul fruit in succession all at once..."

A trace of a strange expression appeared in Chu Xuan's eyes.

Even back then, he would consume one barbarian soul fruit and wait until it was fully digested before immediately consuming the next one.

Otherwise, it would be a bit too much to bear, giving the sensation that his body was about to burst open.

Yet Tang Zheng at this moment was continuously consuming barbarian soul fruit just like eating apples.

However, very quickly, Chu Xuan discovered the key to it.

At this moment, Tang Zheng's entire body was scarlet red and steaming with heat, but a faint luster flickered on the surface of his body, resembling radiating Qi flames.

"Battle Combat..."

Chu Xuan murmured softly, instantly realizing that Tang Zheng had exempted himself from the negative physical effects through the exclusive skill [Battle Combat].

Although this skill was not as good as [Fighting God] in drastically increasing strength and agility, its effect was equally powerful, and it required no massive consumption of spirituality value.

Back in the War Dragon World, after Chu Xuan completed the mission to assassinate the king, one of the rewards included [Battle Combat].

It was just that his contribution points were insufficient to exchange for it back then, so he had settled for the second best and chose [Unyielding].

Compared to the numerous advantages of [Battle Combat], [Unyielding] was not entirely inferior; its passive skill and zero-consumption characteristics were also the foundation of Chu Xuan's courage to fight opponents to the death and trade blood for blood.

At this moment, under the observation of Chu Xuan's Eye of Insight, Tang Zheng's strength and agility surged drastically, both reaching 190 points before stopping.

Right at this moment, Tang Zheng took out another animal skin pouch, pulled out the stopper, and gulped it down in large mouthfuls.

From the slight traces overflowing from the corners of his mouth, it was not hard to tell that it was crimson fresh blood!

His originally stagnant basic attributes soared abruptly until the fresh blood inside the animal skin pouch was completely drunk, with both strength and agility reaching 200 points.

Chu Xuan could tell that there was clearly still overflowing energy surging inside Tang Zheng's body, but it seemed to be bound by some restriction and ultimately came to a halt.

"This fresh blood... is it a treasure similar to barbarian soul fruit?"

Chu Xuan murmured softly. Back then, it was precisely at the very last moment that he consumed a barbarian soul holy fruit, which allowed his strength and agility to Breakthrough to 200 points.

And this fresh blood looked practically no less inferior than the barbarian soul holy fruit.

"Ah—refreshing!!"

Tang Zheng let out a loud laugh and suddenly stood up: "I held back on drinking this pouch of Dragon King Wine for so long, and now it has finally played a crucial role!"

Tang Zheng's whole body muscles suddenly bulged, his figure grew much taller, his physique reaching nearly two meters, and his entire body was as scarlet red as a red-hot branding iron, seemingly concealing incomparable explosive power within.

Seeing this, Chu Xuan slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Relax a bit." Chu Xuan looked at Tang Zheng, whose muscles were tense at the moment, almost bursting through his skin, and blood vessels about to explode, and instructed:

"Your current state consumes far too much stamina. Your time was already very short to begin with, and now with the gap in your stamina attribute being too large, I'm afraid it'll be even worse."

"I understand." Tang Zheng let out a long breath, heat steaming from his whole body, and it took quite a while before it gradually subsided.

"When we return from this mission, I will give you life essence so that your stamina and spirit can also Breakthrough to 200 points." Chu Xuan was extremely satisfied with Tang Zheng's current situation; this was simply his most competent henchman.

"Chu Xuan, what should we do now?" Tang Zheng raised his head to look at the gaming venue above, rubbing his palms together and saying: "I'm feeling a bit thirsty and impatient now, and I really want to stretch my muscles."

At this moment, at the starting plaza above, the Aura displayed by Jianxu and Minge was growing stronger and stronger, yet it seemed like there was a barrier, appearing as though they could never Breakthrough.

Tang Zheng rubbed his chin and asked: "Do you think... are they truly unable to Breakthrough, or are they fishing, waiting for us to proactively go up?"

"Perhaps both." Chu Xuan looked at the entire starting plaza above trembling incessantly, and said thoughtfully: "Could it be because these game rules form their own space, thus causing some kind of obstacle to them?"

"Then should we charge up right now?" After speaking, Tang Zheng shook his head immediately, frowning and saying:

"The state of those two guys is somewhat special. Even without a Breakthrough, the might they display is far from comparable to those few of the Shengyuan Realm, and I don't know what other trump cards they have... Coupled with so many Martial Artists forming formations to guard them, if we forcefully slaughter our way over, we might suffer a loss."

"Don't be impatient." As Chu Xuan spoke, the indestructible flowing shadow in his hand instantly transformed into a pitch-black long blade, upon which the Fire of Nirvana condensed into substance and adhered to it, causing the blade edge to be dyed with a layer of gold.

Only the hilt remained completely unchanged.

Afterwards, Chu Xuan let go of the long blade, allowing the materialized Fire of Nirvana, which flickered with pale gold amidst the pitch-black color, to slowly dissipate.

One second, two seconds...

"Without my maintenance, the power of this materialized Fire of Nirvana will gradually weaken and completely disappear in about half a minute..." Chu Xuan murmured softly.

"Half a minute?" Tang Zheng's eyes lit up: "Half a minute is enough!"

Chu Xuan's lips curled up slightly: "Wait a little longer, our opportunity should arrive shortly."

"Shortly? Should?" Tang Zheng raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"Just wait a bit longer." Without over-explaining, Chu Xuan began consuming spirituality value, accumulating Slash after Slash within his body.

Seeing this, Tang Zheng said no more, and instead took out a large amount of steaming meat and bloody wine, feasting heartily.

"Come on, these are the specialty 'Earth Dragon Meat' that I brought back from the War Dragon World. They have no other special feature, they're just delicious!"

"And this Dragon Blood Wine, although not as good as the Dragon King Wine I just drank, is also extremely delicious!"

"The War Dragon World also has a treasure called Sacred Dragon Wine, but unfortunately, I can't beat that old fellow for now. When there's a chance, I'll get some for you."

"Come, come, dig in! These are all cooked and brewed by the unique class 'Gourmet' of the War Dragon World, you will definitely like it!"

Chu Xuan couldn't help tasting two pieces. Instantly, his lips and teeth were filled with fragrance, his taste buds stirred greatly, and he felt a ravenous hunger with the urge to eat continuously for three days and three nights.

Drinking another cup of Dragon Blood Wine made him feel as if every pore on his entire body relaxed, giving him a refreshing sensation like drinking high-grade life essence for the first time.

At this moment, Chu Xuan's basic attributes did not change in the slightest, but he had an incomparable sense of blissful wonder, as if his Soul was about to sublimate.

Meanwhile, at the police starting plaza, the two sides with Jianxu and Minge as their respective cores were now distinct and clearly separated.

Among them, the Four Sects Martial Artists surrounding Jianxu numbered nearly twenty thousand.

As for the Strange Creatures by Minge's side, there were over ten thousand of them.

Until this moment, the people of the Heavenly Dao Alliance abruptly discovered that there were actually many former companions around them, either coming from the Four Great Sects or transformed by demons.

The Heavenly Dao Alliance Martial Artists who originally came here numbered a full thirty thousand.

But looking at it now, nearly half were "traitors". Coupled with those who died from collateral damage at the start of the game, only two to three thousand people were still surviving today.

And the reason why these two to three thousand people were still alive now was entirely because they had been assigned the identity of "Bandit" in this Cop and Robber Game, and managed to survive by relying on the rule-based invisibility.

As for the Heavenly Dao Alliance Martial Artists assigned to the police identity, they had long since been completely wiped out.

But at this moment, nearly two hours had passed. People looked up at the sky, and the large characters composed of yellow sand were clearly visible before their eyes.

[Police: 30058]

[Bandit: 3420]

[Game Remaining Time — — 01:05:30]

Looking at the numbers overhead, the few remaining Heavenly Dao Alliance Martial Artists felt a chill in their hearts, not daring to approach the police starting plaza at all.

Could it be that they had to just wait for the time to end and be obliterated by these game rules?

How is this any different from waiting for death?

The surviving Martial Artists of the Heavenly Dao Alliance were anxious inside, yet they dared not make the slightest unusual movement, and could only hide within the building clusters separately, temporarily preserving their lives by relying on invisibility.

On the other side, the Four Sects Martial Artists headed by the Cangyun Sect similarly felt an urgent sense of pressure.

"Why haven't those two kids appeared yet?"

"Could it be that they have already seen through our sound-transmission conspiracy with the demons of the Shendao Sect, knowing that we are deliberately waiting for them to appear?!"

"Jianxu is almost unable to suppress it anymore and is about to Breakthrough immediately! With this Breakthrough, he will definitely be able to step past the Shengyuan and reach the Dao realm directly!"

"No, wait a bit longer!"

"If Jianxu steps directly into the Dao realm at this juncture, Minge, under Jianxu's pressure, will definitely not dare to hide anything anymore and will likely summon the complete Demon Lord body directly!"

"However, the time for the Demon Lord she summons won't be too long. Unless we resolve Chu Xuan, the game designer, as early as possible and unlock the blockade of this rule-bound land against us, otherwise within this limited venue, even for self-preservation, she will definitely make a move against Jianxu!"

"Even though Jianxu is a heaven-defying talent, having just broken through to the Dao realm, comparing him with the Demon Lord body, which is stronger or weaker remains to be seen... But even if he can win, I'm afraid both sides will suffer heavy losses, and by then it will only allow that Chu Xuan to reap the benefits."

"If given enough time, we might also be able to fathom the mysteries of the Dao realm through Jianxu, and by joining forces, we might suppress the Demon Lord body, but right now..."

Amidst their mutual secret sound transmissions, the Three Cangyun Elders and Sect Leader Zhihua each sensed Minge casting an ambiguous gaze towards them.

"No, even if Jianxu can wait a bit longer, more than half of the game time has already passed. I don't believe that Chu Xuan will just idly wait for the game to end!"

"That's right, that brat is extremely cunning and is also the designer of this game. He probably still has some backup plans. If we just wait like this, I'm afraid we'll play right into his hands!"

"But now Jianxu cannot Breakthrough... It's all because of that damn Minge. Truly, those of a different race have different hearts. If it weren't for her existence, why would we need to fall into this dilemma?"

"Shall we stake it all on a desperate fight?"

"No..."

Right at this moment, Minge over there suddenly spoke in a loud voice: "Everyone, what are you secretly transmitting sounds about? Could you be discussing how to deal with me?"

The expressions of several people instantly turned stern in their hearts.

"I know what you are hesitating about, but I advise you to think twice! After all... the Demon Lord has killed those in the Dao realm before!"

Minge's words were icy cold, but when she reached this point, her tone suddenly shifted and softened: "However, I do have a plan that can allow both sides to cooperate sincerely without suspecting each other any longer."

Hearing this, several people once again showed a hint of strangeness in their eyes, quietly listening to what Minge wanted to say next.

"My plan is very simple. Come to my side, open your minds, and jointly chant the True God's sacred name with me, guiding the precursors to descend into your bodies, thereby receiving the divine blessing, transforming your life form, and becoming believers of the gods just like me."

Minge chuckled softly: "In this way, we will be our own people."

Everyone's expressions changed drastically.

"You don't need to worry about losing yourselves, because the descending precursor won't be too strong; it will merely become a medium for your connection with the gods...

"Furthermore, because you are all elites of the Cangyun World, far surpassing ordinary people, you can glorify the gods even more. The gods also need to transform this Cangyun into a prosperous True God Kingdom, and you will inevitably become the most outstanding contributors among them!"

"From now on, you will still be the Dominators of this Cangyun World, and you, protected by the gods, will be even more honorable than you are now!"

Everyone wore different expressions.

"Don't hesitate any longer!" Minge's voice suddenly turned cold:

"Even if all of us are gone, even more powerful precursors will descend into this realm, and the brilliance of the divine light is destined to spread across Cangyun. This is an irreversible fact!"

"This is your last chance. If you still refuse to submit, so what even if you all step into the so-called Dao realm? It would merely be lingering on with your last breaths..."

As Minge slowly spoke, her voice spread in all directions, and everyone's eyes flickered one after another.

Right at this moment, the countdown in the sky flashed.

[01:00:00]

The instant when only the last hour of this game remained, the wind and sand rose again, and heaven and earth changed.

At the police starting plaza, among the five cylindrical high platforms that were originally gathered together, four of them suddenly dispersed.

One of the cylindrical high platforms even landed directly at the Bandit starting point!

At the same time, besides Minge, Jianxu, the Three Cangyun Elders, and Sect Leader Zhihua who had been transformed into a police identity, as well as a small portion of people whose strength reached the Martial Dao Tianyuan,

The remaining nearly thirty thousand police players, who originally formed formations and gathered together, were now thrown into chaos and scattered to every corner of the gaming venue.

Chu Xuan below abruptly stood up, sharp brilliance suddenly blooming in his eyes: "The time has come!"

While speaking, the Fire of Nirvana in Chu Xuan's hand once again covered the long blade.

"Tang Zheng, catch the blade!"

Chu Xuan said in a deep voice: "Find an opportunity to kill those few of the Shengyuan Realm first!"

As his words fell, Chu Xuan leaped forward, but only exposed the upper half of his body outside, raising his hand and suddenly pointing.

In an instant, a massive blade radiance formed by the combination of a hundred Slashes roared and shot out, wrapped in the Fire of Nirvana, heading straight for where Jianxu was located.

His other hand pointed toward Minge's location.

Clanging sounds rose all around!

Ninety-nine meter-long Slashes, entwined with the Fire of Nirvana, were like sharp swords spitting out fire snakes, shooting toward the top of Minge's head at a purplish-black giant monster that had almost completely squeezed out from the illusory space.

With this strike, Chu Xuan went all out.

Jianxu was directly blasted flying away by the massive Slash.

Moreover, crackling loud sounds like metal clashing erupted all over the purplish-black giant monster, and Minge abruptly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood crazily.

But in the next second, Jianxu, who was swept up into mid-air, suddenly raised his head and let out a long whistle, his Aura which had already reached its peak climbing higher step by step.

And that purplish-black giant monster abruptly opened a pair of bone-chillingly cold eyes, stepping out to completely break away from the distorted space above Minge's head.

At this moment.

The entire gaming venue shook violently!

And at this exact same time, Chu Xuan's clear and loud laughter spread in all directions: "Warriors of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, victory or defeat hangs on this single action!"

"Destroy the Four Sects, slay the demons, right at this moment!!!"